


Reasons Not To Let Your Guard Down

by MakeupLoverOtaku



Series: Mixed Chocolates [1]
Category: B-PROJECT 鼓動＊アンビシャス | B-PROJECT: Kodou Ambitious
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Drama & Romance, F/M, Gen, Hangover, Morning After, Tsubasa does not take being hungover well
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-08
Updated: 2017-08-08
Packaged: 2018-12-12 20:11:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,969
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11744313
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MakeupLoverOtaku/pseuds/MakeupLoverOtaku
Summary: Tsubasa wakes up with a wicked hangover after a night out of celebratory drinking with the older members.Unfortunately, she does not remember anything of the previous night, and all the members that were with her are acting strange, especially Goushi, who is looking at her with the most out of character expressions...





	1. Part 1

**Author's Note:**

> Goushi needs lots of love. Forever and always.

**Part 1**

Tsubasa Sorasumi woke up with a quiet groan. Her head pounded, her mouth felt dry, and her body ached. She knew the signs of a hangover, and was not proud to be experiencing one at this point in time. _‘What happened last night?’_ She glanced over at the clock on her bedside table and grimaced: she needed to be ready to leave in half an hour, so she saved the rest of the thought for later.

Thankfully, she was heading towards the apartment building that housed the _B-Project_ members, in order to collect a few assigned members for a charity event. It was a pretty easy day to expect, but her condition will inevitably make it a lot worse.

After a quick shower, she felt a little less ill, and decided to braid her hair to hide the mess it was. As she was finishing off her hair with a tie, something caught her eye in the mirror: a small discolouration on the base of her neck. Leaning closer to the mirror, she frowned: it didn’t look like a mosquito bite, or any other sort of insect-caused irritation. Then, she saw another one further down her chest, near where her heart was. Touching it didn’t cause any pain, but the area was slightly warm. _‘What are these?’_ Tsubasa thought, checking the rest of her torso for any other markings, and thankfully finding no others.

She dressed comfortably in loose ¾ length pants in a dark blue, and a light yellow blouse. A brighter yellow cardigan covered her exposed arms, since the temperatures were beginning to cool with the ending of summer. A quick check of the time showed that she was on time to leave, and Tsubasa decided to grab something to eat on the way-preferably with a side of a hangover elixir.

The convenience store just down the street was thankfully not crowded as she grabbed a small protein bar, sparkling water and a small bottle of a popular hangover cure. She hated the taste, but it helped with the nausea. After paying for her goods, she went outside to hail a taxi.

The ride to the apartment building was reasonably short, the rest of inner-city Tokyo making their way to work, but thankfully not clogging up the roads too much. 

Tsubasa let out a breath as she exited the taxi, the nausea not exactly dissipating, even after the consumption of the hangover drink and some of the sparkling water. Her phone buzzed just as she reached the double-glass doors of the entryway, an email from the charity event organizer Mami, letting her know everything was ready to go. _Fantastic!_ Tsubasa typed. _I’m just getting the boys together now and we’ll be there soon!_ She sent the reply as she stepped into the elevator, pressing the button for the 18th floor, where the four groups of _B-Project_ shared a common room, kitchen, lounge area, rehearsal space, mini recording studio and gym. Each group had their own floors with private rooms designated to each member; the common floor was sandwiched in between the four floors, with _Kitakore_ and _MooNs_ in the upper floors, while _THRIVE_ and _KiLLER KiNG_ were in the lower. 

When the doors of the elevator opened, Tsubasa immediately could smell the cooking of someone making breakfast, and her stomach jolted unpleasantly. She took another gentle sip of her carbonated water as she headed towards the common space, where the kitchen and lounge area was housed.

“Good morning,” she greeted as she entered the open doorway, her gaze looking towards the kitchen.

Hikaru looked up from the stove he was manning and gave her a bright smile. “Good morning Tsubasa-chan!” he replied, sounding awfully energetic. “Did you make it home alright last night?”

Tsubasa frowned slightly as she placed her handbag on one of the bar stools next to the kitchen counter. “What?” 

The green-haired young man raised an eyebrow. “Do you not remember the team celebration for _THRIVE_ ’s first placing in the music charts?” He turned away briefly to flip the pancake he was cooking, before turning back. “There are a few members that may be nursing hangovers today.”

“Unfortunately I’m one of them,” Tsubasa admitted, a hand reaching up to place onto the side of her head, the dull throbbing still yet to dissipate. “I don’t remember much from what happened later in the night. Can you remember?”

Hikaru shook his head. “I left a little earlier with Nome since I needed to take my medicine, but I do remember that you, Kenken-san, Goushi-san, Tomo-san, Momo-san and Mikado-san were still in the bar.” He came over to sit down on one of the spare bar stools, a plate piled high with pancakes, sliced banana and maple syrup placed in front of him. 

Tsubasa decided to sit down as well, her hands holding the half-empty bottle of water. She had yet to feel proper hunger, but the nausea was starting to become less forceful, so she hoped she would be able to soon eat that protein bar that sat in her handbag.

“Would you like me to make you something to eat?” Hikaru offered, his mouth full of food.

A smile crept across her mouth, as Tsubasa couldn’t help but see how sweet the young man beside her was being. “No thank you,” she answered. “I’m not sure if I can handle food right now.”

Hikaru nodded, before continuing to eat his breakfast. The two of them chatted idly for a few minutes before Nome and Kazuna appeared at the doorway.

“Good morning Tsubasa-san,” Kazuna greeted pleasantly, his voice sounding slightly gravelly. “I hope you slept well?”

Tsubasa held up her beverage. “As much as a hangover could provide,” she joked.

Kazuna laughed softly as Nome began to place ingredients for a protein smoothie on the counter. Tsubasa noticed the blender and grimaced. “I think I’ll leave the room now before you turn that on, Nome-san.”

Nome looked at her with a curious look, before giving her an apologetic smile. “Sorry,” he said as he began to cut up some strawberries. “I won’t be too long.”

Tsubasa nodded before getting out of the stool she sat upon. “I’ll excuse myself for now,” she said, bowing slightly before deciding a quick trip to the bathroom down the hall was needed.

The hall felt cooler in comparison to the warm kitchen, and considerably quieter. The brunette let out a low breath as she slowed her steps down the carpeted hallway. Just as she reached the doorway to the bathroom, the grating sounds of the blender in the kitchen sounded, and she quickly scrambled and locked the door.

After finishing her business and cleaning up, she gave herself a quick once-over in the mirror, noting that the quickly-applied concealer from earlier wasn’t as well-blended as she liked, so she went about fixing it as best as she could, before remembering that she had left her makeup bag in the kitchen. Sighing, she decided to fix her face in the common area, where the light was better and where she could speak to the members that were needed for today’s work.

She unlocked and opened the bathroom door as a strong yawn broke through her, temporarily blinding her. At that precise moment as well, her forehead collided with a solid, warm wall.

“Oi,” a rough voice sounded, and a pair of strong hands gently grabbed her upper arms. Tsubasa blinked and she looked up, her face bursting into a blush at the close proximity of the male in front of her.

Goushi Kaneshiro looked down at Tsubasa with an odd expression on his face, his red-coloured eyes sporting dark circles, much like her own. He didn’t let go, but he did take a step back to allow Tsubasa some space.

“Um…” Tsubasa felt unusual, as if she was supposed to remember something, but her mind was drawing a complete blank. Despite their personal proximity and how the man in front of her was famous for being stubborn and rude, she felt almost a sense of safeness as the heat of his hands seeped through the sleeves of her cardigan. 

Goushi broke his gaze to look off to the side, before mumbling quietly, “Did you get home safe last night?”

 _‘Why am I being asked this so much this morning?’_ Tsubasa thought, as she noted Goushi’s unusually quiet demeanor. “Yes I did,” she said, trying to make her voice sound cheerful. “Not feeling my best today, but I’ll be better by the time we get to the event later.”

Goushi’s gaze flicked back to her, looking incredulous, much to her confusion. “Do you…remember anything?” he asked, gritting his jaw.

Tsubasa shook her head. “I only remember the beginning of the evening, after that I’m drawing a blank.” She laughed softly and attempted to joke: “This will be the last time I drink for a very long time.”

The black haired man in front of her didn’t break his gaze, but he let go of her arms, letting his arms fall to his sides. “Of course,” he replied. “Can’t ruin anything for the group.” Tsubasa’s eyebrows shot up at that, before Goushi turned and entered the bathroom behind her, and closing the door.

 _‘What was that about?’_ she thought as she walked back down the hall. More voices could be heard in the common room at this point, and she decided to not think any more on that encounter with Goushi, deciding to hide her discomfort at the strangeness of the situation.

“Good morning,” Tsubasa greeted, adding a cheerfulness to her voice, noting that Tomohisa, Ryuji, Mikado, Momotaro and Yuta were sitting at the dining table eating their respective breakfasts. Mikado was quieter than he usually was, and was nursing a cup of something steaming, fogging his glasses with each sip. Momotaro sat beside him, looking better rested and was eating his breakfast of natto, raw egg, boiled rice and nori, much to Mikado’s discomfort of having to smell the fermented beans on an uneasy stomach.  
Tomohisa, meanwhile, was reading the newspaper while Ryuji and Yuta chatted over bowls of sugary cereal. Hikaru, Nome and Kazuna had moved to the lounge area, with the members of _KiLLER KiNG_ sitting around the coffee table with their own foods, all of them watching the morning news.  
All members who had yet to greet her that day replied back with their morning greetings, some more enthusiastic than others. The dark-haired twin Yuzuki from _KiLLER KiNG_ was still quite shy around her, so his greeting was lost under the louder voices of his group-mates.

“Good morning Tsubasa-san,” Tomohisa greeted, after everyone else had finished theirs, looking up from the paper. “How are you feeling today?”

“Getting better,” Tsubasa replied honestly, as she walked towards her handbag. “I’m jealous on how well you look this morning after all that drinking.”

“Tomo can handle alcohol better than anyone,” Ryuji stated, a spoon laden with cereal in his hand. “I’ve never seen him hungover.”

“What a lucky guy you are,” Mikado grumbled, rubbing his eyes under his glasses. “I feel terrible.”

“You should have stopped after one,” Momotaro chided in his usual monotone. “You know how you can’t handle your alcohol.”

“But, I needed to keep up with the others!” Mikado argued. “Tsubasa was the best drinker out of all of us!”

Tsubasa paused in her rummaging through her makeup case. _‘What?’_

Tomohisa shook his head. “I’m sure Tsubasa is feeling just as unwell as you this morning,” he stated. “Hikaru has said that she has yet to eat anything this morning.”

Sighing, Tsubasa turned to face the group at the dining table. “Sorry to interrupt, but we don’t have much time till we have to leave for the charity event. Tomohisa-san, Hikaru-san, Momotaro-san, you three and Goushi-san should be ready to go within twenty minutes.”

“Understood,” a familiar voice sounded behind her, causing her to jump. Goushi was at the kitchen counter, holding a glass of water and giving her an almost kind look. “We’ll be ready.”

Tsubasa swallowed, and nodded, before focusing her attention on fixing her hurried makeup job from earlier that morning, trying as hard as she could to avoid the dark-red gaze of the man across from her.

“Tsubasa-san, make sure to use white liner in your waterline,” Ryuji stated, as he walked past to put his used bowl into the dishwasher. “It’ll help to make you look more awake.”

“Uh, thank you Korekuni-san,” Tsubasa replied, surprise evident on her features. 

Ryuji shrugged. “You learn things when you have your makeup done more times than you can count,” he stated, sounding like it wasn’t a big deal. Tsubasa nodded at him, and continued to fix her makeup with the small hand mirror that she had placed on the counter to keep her hands free.

“I’m sure she looks lovely no matter what she puts on,” Kento Aizome stated, as he entered the room, a takeaway cup of coffee in his hand.

“Morning Kenken!” Yuta greeted with a wave from his place in front of the television, having moved there after finishing his food. Kento waved back with a kind smile.

Tsubasa could see in the corner of her gaze Goushi giving Kento a glare. “You look quite happy this morning,” he said, his voice in the usual grouch tone.

“The sun is shining, the lineup for coffee in the morning was short, and my bangs are sitting perfectly, so I have many reasons to be happy this morning,” Kento stated, a slight grin curling one side of his handsome features. He then gave Goushi a suggestive look, “Why are you not any happier today? Surely after last ni-“

“Shut up!” Goushi snapped, glaring daggers at the taller man. 

Kento raised an eyebrow in silent question, and Tsubasa saw him glance her way before looking back at the dark-haired man before him. An understanding look came across his features, much to Tsubasa’s confusion. “OK, then,” he replied, his voice even. 

“Kento, have you seen this article? I’m sure you’ll be interested to read it,” Tomohisa’s voice cut across the room, breaking the tension.

Kento broke his gaze from Goushi and looked over to where Tomohisa still sat. “Oh? Do show me,” he said, before walking over to the dining table.  
Goushi glared at the blue-haired man’s back, and Tsubasa was too slow to look back at her mirror before his own gaze caught her own. The glare lessened, and that unusual gentleness softened his features, and Tsubasa could see that the more the young man looked less terrifying, the more attractive he seemed. Her cheeks warmed, and she broke the gaze to continue her application of makeup, which by then was just applying her favourite tinted lip balm.

She delicately applied the smallest amount to her bottom lip, using her middle finger, dabbing along to evenly distribute the colour. She pouted her lips slightly before applying to the top lip in the same motions. Once she was satisfied, she began to clean up, noting that her watch was showing that they had only ten minutes before they had to leave. Tsubasa glanced over at Momotaro, Tomohisa and Kazuna, and noticed they were already dressed and ready to go, while the others were still in their pyjamas or casual clothing, since they were going to enjoy a rare full day off.   
Then she remembered that Goushi was also a part of the group to leave, and she looked over at where he stood in the kitchen. He was wearing a pair of black jeans, with strands of chains attached to the belt loops; a white t-shirt and a casual dark grey jacket. A dark leather necklace hung around his neck, with a silver pendant in the shape of a square on the end. Her gaze then went up to his face, and what she saw nearly made her gasp: Goushi was looking at her as if he could devour her, his own gaze fixated on her freshly balmed lips. 

“Tsubasa-san?” a voice broke through her trance, and she looked over to where it came from. Miroku stood nearby, giving her a sympathetic look. “Are you still feeling unwell?”

Tsubasa smiled gently. “I’m getting better as the morning goes on,” she replied.

Miroku nodded. “Don’t work yourself to illness for our sake,” he stated. He glanced at Goushi, before looking back at her. “And ask for help if you need it.”

Tsubasa nodded her head, while inside she felt strong confusion at what was just said. “I will!”

Tomohisa chose to speak up at that moment, “Kazuna, Momo-san, Goushi-san, it’s time for us to leave.” Tsubasa looked over to see him stand up and put his folded paper on the dining table. Momotaro nodded and he stood up from his place at the table, while Kazuna made his way from the lounge area.

“Let’s go,” Goushi grumbled, shoving his hands into his jean pockets and began to walk out of the room.

Tsubasa nodded, picking up her handbag and re-checking her phone for any further messages, of which there were none. A hand was placed on her shoulder, and she looked up at the kind face of Tomohisa. “Please take care of us, and yourself today,” he said, a gentle smile warming his features.

“I-“ Tsubasa paused, before changing her reply; “As long as you take care of each other too,” she said, a less-than-genuine smile gracing her own features. She nodded once, before heading out of the room.

Tomohisa frowned, and Kazuna raised an eyebrow. “Jealous?” he said, trying to get a rise from the Prince-like male beside him.

“Hardly,” Tomohisa replied, his face still retaining a sense of unease.

“I don’t like the aura around those two,” Momotaro commented as he walked past the two older men, before following their A&R out of the room.

Tomohisa and Kazuna looked at each other, and a look of understanding came across. “That explains a lot,” Tomohisa commented, and Kazuna nodded in reply.  
They couldn’t focus more on the issue at hand any further, and decided to discuss it after the charity event.


	2. Part 2

**Part 2**

By the time they had all sat in the van, the sunshine was beginning to fade behind a large clutch of clouds.

“I hope it doesn’t rain,” Tsubasa muttered just as the van pulled away from the curb. She pulled out her phone to check the weather, and was relieved to see that it was only brief cloud cover for part of the day.

“Tsubasa-san,” Tomohisa spoke up from his seat behind her. “What is the summary of the event? Just so we can be refreshed.”

Tsubasa nodded before pulling out her folder of notes and began to read aloud; the charity was for AIDs awareness, and was headlined by a major actor that had starred in multiple high-budget films. The event was a televised telethon, where members of the entertainment industry would take calls for donations to the cause, along with breaks for performances and speeches. The selected members of _B-Project_ were not required to perform, but if there was time, they could do an acoustic number if they so chose. Tsubasa had made sure to have a guitar packed onto the van, knowing Goushi’s talent with the instrument if the time arose.

Her thoughts wandered over the dark-haired man, who had sat himself at the back of the van, reading the information booklet about the event, on occasion looking out the window. His expression was neutral, but his lips were pursing, making him look troubled. His eyes still looked tired, but Tsubasa knew that he could do his job when required, despite his protests.

“Do you have the list of who will be at this event?” Kazuna asked, his seat opposite to Tsubasa to her left. Tsubasa nodded and handed him the paper that had the latest updated list of names.

Kazuna’s eyebrows raised. “Oh,” he said, and then looked at Tomohisa. “You better look at this.”

Tsubasa felt confusion as Tomohisa reached for the extended list, and his own expression changing when he happened upon the name Kazuna was referring to. “I see,” he commented, his voice quiet.

“What is it?” Momotaro asked, turning to try and look at the list in Tomohisa’s hand. A slight shadow of interest crossed across the red-headed man, when his own eyes focused on the list that Tomohisa discreetly revealed, strangely not within Goushi’s line of sight.

“Should I know something? Is it anything I need to do?” Tsubasa asked, curiosity growing as the three men who had looked at the list looked increasingly uncomfortable. 

Kazuna spoke first, “It’s nothing,” his voice sounding oddly nervous.

“Just tell her,” Goushi snapped. Tsubasa looked up and saw the man glaring at the leader of _MooNs_ , who sat in front of him. “She needs to know, for her sake.”

Tomohisa let out a low breath, and showed the list for Tsubasa to see. “Do you see the fifth name down?”

Her gaze went down the page until it came across a name: Oda Reina. The name sounded familiar, but she couldn’t quite remember where she had heard it before.

“She…is an acquaintance of Goushi-san’s,” Tomohisa said, sounding uncharacteristically awkward. “She’s a local television host that has been gaining a lot of popularity lately, and had just recently been promoted to a news anchor for NHK.”

“I see…” Tsubasa felt the awkward tension, and she noticed that all members were avoiding looking at Goushi, while the man himself was stoically staring out the window. “Should I worry about her?”

“No,” Goushi snapped, his voice sounding rougher than normal. “Just do your job and everything will be fine.”

“Goushi…” Tomohisa lightly chided, his face showing concern. “Tsubasa is only trying to help.”

A red-eyed glare was shot towards the white-haired man. “Like I care! It’s not as if I want her around Reina-“ he suddenly stopped, jaw clenching, his glare settling on Tsubasa, who was starting to feel uneasy around this particular anger spout. Something in Tsubasa’s gaze caused something to break in Goushi, and he began to look thoroughly ashamed.

“I’m…sorry Tsubasa-san,” he said, his voice suddenly quiet. He lowered his gaze to his lap. “You did not deserve to see that.”

Tsubasa tore her gaze away from the man and looked out her own window on the opposite side of the van, unable to reply. She bit her lip as she felt her eyes water, which she quickly dabbed away with the heel of her palm. Her stomach clenched with something else purely emotional: hurt. 

“Tsubasa-san…” Tomohisa breathed out, more as a resigned sigh. She could imagine his, Momotaro and Kazuna’s sympathetic gazes on her. But those didn’t matter to her- she wanted to figure out what the heck happened to make Goushi so emotionally different towards her.

The van thankfully arrived at the location after a few minutes, and Tsubasa took charge in arranging the young men and the additional items she had packed into the van taken with them to the dressing room that was assigned. The area that the event was to be held was an outdoor garden, with numerous white tents erected around, which included dressing rooms, performance areas, interview areas, and the call centre. The ‘call centre’ was located in the centre of the garden, made up of a series of rows of tables with three phones placed on each. Shading was provided with shade cloths strung across the grassy area, and an area designated for cameras and crew.

“Tsubasa-san!” a friendly voice called just as the _B-Project_ members were entering their dressing room. Tsubasa looked up and smiled: Mami, one of the main organizers of the event was walking towards her.

“Hello Mami-san!” Tsubasa greeted, letting the flap of the tent close behind her and turning to face the woman that seemed not that much older than her. 

“Everything alright with your boys? They didn’t seem to be too energetic,” Mami asked, sounding genuinely concerned.

Tsubasa waved her hand. “Oh no, don’t worry. They had a late night rehearsing last night, but they’ll be ready to go whenever you need them.” Though she hated lying, if word went out that they were out drinking and partying, that would spell the end of their careers.

Mami nodded. “If you need anything, like additional bottles of water or snacks, just let me know.” With a nod, she turned and walked away, calling out to another A&R of a different group.

After taking a deep breath, Tsubasa entered the tent, and saw that the young men in her charge were all quietly sitting around, seemingly avoiding each other’s gaze.  
A boiling rage suddenly burst out of Tsubasa, and, unthinkingly, she snapped: “Fine! Be weird around each other! What I cannot stand is the lack of communication with me. _Talk to me!_ I am in no mood to keep up this façade of ‘everything is fine’ when it is in fact _not_.” She felt herself running out of breath, so she took a moment to huff, as if she had been running a marathon. Her head began to hurt as a result, and she felt dizzy all of a sudden.  
Before she knew it, her sight became blurry and she began to feel herself fall. Strong arms grabbed her and pulled her tight against a warm, almost hot chest. A nose buried itself into her messy hair, and the owner quietly spoke, “You are right.”

Tsubasa took a sharp breath against the chest, and she felt herself being guided to a chair. After sitting, the person pulled away, knelt down in front of her chair, and gave her a tired look. “If you need to be angry, aim it at me,” Goushi said, his voice calm. “I wasn’t being honest, and it’s time I speak to you about…everything.” His cheeks took a slight pinkish tone, and Tsubasa wondered what he needed to say.

“We’ll excuse ourselves,” Tomohisa spoke, placing a hand on Tsubasa’s shoulder for a moment. He turned to Goushi, “Honesty is the best policy, especially for how you feel.”

Kazuna nodded, while Momotaro’s lip twitched into a small smile in the corner. They followed Tomohisa out of the tent, and then Tsubasa and Goushi were officially alone.

Goushi cleared his throat. “I’m…not very good at this,” he admitted. His cheeks warmed even further, and Tsubasa felt the urge to place her hand on one heated cheek in an effort to assure him. But she kept her hands in her lap, unsure whether her touch would be wanted.

“Start by telling me why you were so strange with me this morning,” Tsubasa said, her own voice quiet. 

Goushi looked up her, genuine confusion on his handsome features, red eyes widening. “You mean, you don’t remember?”

“What parts of being hung over this morning, not stick to your memory?”

The black haired man snorted. “I remember,” he said, his voice regaining the familiar edge to it. “And I also remember last night. What happened between… us.”

“Us?” Tsubasa’s eyes widened. 

Goushi reached up and brushed a strand of hair from Tsubasa’s cheek, tucking it behind her ear; his touch was gentle, almost careful. His eyes darkened as they refocused on her own, and Tsubasa took a shuddering breath, noticing that the distance had closed between them. “I… confessed,” he admitted. “And you expressed that you felt the same. We…” His voice trailed off, and suddenly his expression turned shy, and he looked away.

Tsubasa couldn’t help herself. She reached up and touched his jaw, causing him to jerk back to looking at her. “What did we do?” she whispered.

The fingers that were playing with her hair strands tucked themselves into the back of her neck, gently encouraging her closer. “I can remind you if you’d like?” his voice was low and husky, and a shiver ran through Tsubasa, like a bodily memory.

His lips grazed along her own gently, asking for permission, and Tsubasa granted it, allowing herself to be pulled into his heated kiss. Her hands moved to grip the lapels of his jacket, pulling him as close as he physically could, while his free arm wrapped itself surely around her waist. Unconsciously, Tsubasa opened her knees to allow for Goushi to come even closer, him on his knees while she still sat on the edge of her chair.

Goushi’s tongue gently nudged along her bottom lip, and Tsubasa happily allowed him to explore her mouth, while in exchange, she let one of her hands wander up his shirt, touching firm abdominal muscles that twitched at her touch.

A laugh cut their kiss short, and Tsubasa opened her eyes to see Goushi’s flushed face in front of her own. “I’m ticklish,” Goushi gently reprimanded, reaching down to guide her hand out from under his shirt. 

“Just like me,” Tsubasa breathed, her cheeks warming as a fuzzy memory surfaced, one where heated breaths and endless kisses were exchanged.

“You’re ticklish here,” Goushi touched the covered spot at the base of her neck. “And here,” he said, moving his fingers to rest on her sternum, just above her cleavage. Tsubasa’s heart thudded, and she wondered if he could feel the rhythm under his gentle fingers. A slight quirk of an eyebrow convinced her that he could, and she turned away in embarrassment.

“H-how do you know that?” she questioned, her voice cracking a little. The tent suddenly felt overly hot and small, despite the cooler weather outside.

The hand that was behind her head reached down to her jaw, urging her to focus her gaze back to the man in front of her. “Please tell me you haven’t completely forgotten what we…” Goushi hesitated, before continuing, “What we did after our confession?”

Butterflies tingled in Tsubasa’s stomach at the intensity of Goushi’s gaze, and she felt a little part of her break when she truly could not remember the full details of what they supposedly experienced. Only flashes of feelings, touches… nothing truly substantial to connect the feelings she was experiencing right at this moment, familiar, yet strange. Her eyes watered, as a spike of fear cut through, wondering if Goushi would be hurt or upset with her if she confessed the complete truth.

The dark-haired man’s eyebrows came together, but not in anger or annoyance: trepidation draped across his features like an unfamiliar cloak, and Tsubasa found herself unable to respond to this new expression.

Gouhsi spoke first, his voice kind, just like earlier back in the hallway at the apartment building: “Go on a date with me.”

“What?” Tsubasa blinked, confusion causing her to snap her attention fully onto him.

“Go on a date with me,” Goushi insisted, taking one of her hands in both of his own. “At least, let’s try this again, for your sake.”

Tsubasa opened her mouth to reply when the tent flaps opened, and Tomohisa, Momotaro and Kazuna reentered, looking embarrassed to be interrupting their conversation. “Apologies,” Kazuna said, sitting down on one of the chairs nearby. “We were instructed to go to our dressing rooms to await further instructions.”

Tsubasa cleared her throat, as Goushi released her hand and stood up. She gave herself a mental shake before giving Kazuna a kind smile. “No need to apologize, we were just finishing up our conversation.” She quickly reached out and grabbed Goushi’s hand, giving it a squeeze before letting go. “Everything will be fine.”

“That’s a relief,” Tomohisa stated, giving her a Princely smile. “I was worried that I had to rescue the Princess from the Dragon’s clutches.”

Tsubasa couldn’t help but giggle at the thought as Goushi glared at Tomohisa in response, his cheeks slightly pink. 

“Goushi,” Momotaro called, and the dark haired man looked at the redhead. “I need to speak to you about…her.”

Goushi frowned, then nodded. He walked past Tsubasa, his hand brushing her cheek affectionately, before the two of them went to the far corner of the tent to speak. Turning away from the two men, Tsubasa decided to double-check a few details with the other two males to pass the time.

The event went off without a hitch, and they had managed to raise a substantial amount of money for the charity, especially when fulfilling phoned requests. Momotaro agreed to have his long bangs pinned back like _KiLLER KiNG_ ’s Akane for the rest of the show, causing a lot of the female staff and celebrities to sigh at the sight of his handsome face being fully exposed. All four performed an acoustic version of “It’s Paradise”, one of their older singles, with Goushi expertly manning the guitar.

“Fantastic work _B-Project_ team!” Mami complimented as they exited their dressing room tent. “Your group brought in some of the bigger donations!”

“Thank you for inviting us to participate,” Tsubasa replied, bowing politely. “We all enjoyed ourselves!”

“We did indeed,” Tomohisa agreed, giving Mami a dazzling smile, causing the woman to blush furiously.

“Ah, well-the pleasure is mine,” Mami stuttered, and Tsubasa struggled to not giggle. “You’ll be hearing from my company again in no time!”

“I look forward to hearing from you!” Tsubasa answered with a final bow, and the group made their way out towards the parking lot where their van waited.

_That evening…_

Tsubasa yawned. She had managed to eat a proper dinner after arriving home, despite it being from the local convenience store. It was still early in the evening, and she was already ready for bed. The next day was going to be a day off for her, while the boys were going to a song-writing workshop to begin work for the next collaborative album. After dropping off the boys at their apartment building, she had gotten a phonecall at Gandara head office about an issue that needed to be fixed that instant, so she barely had the chance to say goodbye to everyone before hailing a taxi to take her to another part of the city, where the office resided.

She glanced at her phone, remembering that Goushi had sent her a message earlier that evening, but she had yet to open it since coming home. Just as she was about to unlock her phone, her doorbell rings.

Frowning, she gets up off her bed and looks at the lit screen of the security system, and sees the face of someone she was beginning to fall for. After unlocking the electric doors at the ground floor, she waited by her front door, her stomach tingling with the familiar butterflies. Then, she looked at her attire, and groaned: she had decided to just put on her comfortable sleeping clothes as soon as she had entered her doorway from work, consisting of an oversized grey shirt and a pair of tiny boxer shorts, exposing almost the entire length of her legs.

Just as she was stepping towards the wardrobe, there was a knocking at her door. Tsubasa took a breath to calm herself, before opening it. Goushi stood there, wearing the same jeans, but instead of a jacket, he wore his favourite hoodie, a black and grey patterned thing that looked quite old, with the hood up to help cover part of his face from anyone that might recognize him on the street.

“What are you doing here?” Tsubasa asked as she indicated for Goushi to come inside, and closing the door behind him, flicking the lock. “You…shouldn’t be here.”

“I know,” Goushi’s voice was gentle and low, almost as if he didn’t want to scare her away. “But I had to see you.”

Tsubasa crossed over the length of the room to sit down on her bed. She patted the space beside her, “Please, sit.”

An unsure look passed across the man’s face before he nodded, removing his shoes by the door, and then moved to sit beside her. Tsubasa reached up and lowered his hood and smiled. “There, now I can see your messy hair.”

Goushi snorted, and a twitch of a smile appeared. He took a breath before turning his body fully to face Tsubasa. “I need to tell you something,” he said, his voice sounding hesitant. 

“Is it about…Reina?” Tsubasa guessed, and from the slight frown on Goushi’s face, she had guessed correctly.

“Momotaro told me some interesting news, and I want you to hear it,” he began, lowering his gaze to where his hands rested in his lap. “But first, know this: she was someone that I dated only briefly in the early days of _B-Project_ , and I never felt the same way towards her as I do about you.”

Reaching out, Tsubasa placed a hand on Goushi’s knee and gave him an encouraging smile.

“I broke things off with her when she started to demand the impossible, which was to give up my idol career and, in her words, ‘get a proper job’, while she pursued her own goals of being in the entertainment industry.” Goushi took a breath, and moved one of his hands to rest on Tsubasa’s. “I thought I would feel hurt, but all I felt was…nothing. I began to believe that the whole ideal of love and caring for someone was some stupid fantasy, like the songs we write. But then, you came along.”

Tsubasa felt her body become steadily warmer as Goushi’s gaze focused on her. “You, a shy and inexperienced A&R, somehow broke my ideal world, and I started to…feel.” His serious expression broke into a grin. “Do you remember that XOXO photo shoot? With the cat?”

A short laugh bubbled from her mouth, before Tsubasa answered, “Yes, and you threw a temper tantrum like a child, almost derailing your entire career.”

Goushi had the right to grimace. “Not one of my finest moments,” he conceded. He cleared his throat, before refocusing on her. “You remember how you fell into my arms? After looking everywhere for me?”

“Good catch, by the way,” Tsubasa commented, blushing at the memory. It was the first time she had been held that way by anyone, and it was the first time she had noticed Goushi’s gentlemanly nature with his gentle handling.

“Your clumsiness caused me to realize that not only I cared about you, but those feelings were beyond professional. And I couldn’t do a thing.” Goushi gently squeezed the hand he held, causing Tsubasa to sharply inhale. “When last night’s alcohol-fuelled confession was reciprocated, I was over the moon. We-“ he gulped, cheeks reddening, before continuing. “We went to a local hotel and…”

Tsubasa lowered her gaze, her own cheeks blazing as she figured out the unsaid. That would explain the marks on her body, how Goushi was extremely gentle when touching her, how her body felt unusually worn out upon waking. “How did I get home?” she wondered.

“I took you home when I remembered our schedule for today,” Goushi replied. “Hence why I know where you live, because I had to look through your wallet for an address.”

“You, took care of me?” Tsubasa said, her voice going quiet.

Goushi’s free hand reached up to touch her cheek. “And I always will,” he stated, his gaze darkening.

Tsubasa cleared her throat, her eyes burning with the desire to shed some very happy tears. “You forgot to tell me more about Reina.”

Goushi looked a little put out, before nodding. “Momotaro told me that she was secretly engaged to her co-anchor of that news show, and he felt the aura of a second being with her- like a pregnancy.” He frowned slightly, glancing away, “Kinda not sure why he would want to tell me this information when he clearly knew about my feelings for you.”

“He was probably teasing you in his own way,” Tsubasa commented, a smile quirking at the corners of her mouth. Then she paused, for a moment, remembering something: “Did you just say that _Momotaro-san_ knew about your feelings for me? Who else knows?”

Goushi rubbed the back of his neck. “Nearly…everyone.”

“What?!” Tsubasa squawked, grabbing her pillow and throwing at the man next to her. “That’s so embarrassing!”

Goushi laughed, the pillow flopping to the ground at his socked feet. Tsubasa then thought, _‘Who else has heard this man properly laugh?’_ , and decided to burn the wonderful sight into her memory.

The man in question reached across and wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her closer. “You still cannot remember anything from last night?”

Tsubasa shook her head, feeling ashamed at her admission. “I’m sorry.”

“Do you…care about me?” Goushi rested his forehead against her own. “At least, do I have a chance?”

She could feel herself relax in his hold, and she wrapped her arms around his neck, and letting one of her hands to wander into the messy black locks. Her heart thundered in her ears, her stomach was full of butterflies, and she knew one thing: she didn’t want to let this man go. “Yes,” Tsubasa replied.

“Yes? To what?” Goushi teased gently, his other arm coming up to rest his hand under her chin.

“Both,” Tsubasa breathed, as her eyes closed. Goushi’s lips found hers, and the rest of the night was definitely more memorable than the previous. In fact, she would never forget it.

Neither did the other members of _B-Project_ when the two of them arrived the next morning looking even more tired, but blissfully happy.

"Pay up," Momotaro muttered to Mikado, holding out a hand. "The full amount."

"How on earth did you predict the outcome so accurately?" Mikado grumbled as he pulled out his wallet.

Momotaro broke out in an uncharacteristically happy smirk. "I'll leave you with this friendly piece of advice: never make bets with a psychic."

FIN

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This fic is dedicated to those who love Goushi, the angriest, yet sweetest member of _B-Project_.


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